Childhood Predicaments
by Chikara-kun
Summary: After knowing Itachi for quite some time, Sakura has suddenly become.. conscious of him. Fluffy-ish oneshot. ItaSaku Modern AU


There were a few impatient knocks at the door, followed by a few rings of the doorbell. To say it was hot outside was an understatement, but luckily right above the front door was an overhang providing shade, and making it slightly cooler. The summer month of July in Konoha was never kind; it was scorching and the weather didn't relent much, even at night.

Sakura was getting impatient quickly. Her face twisted into one of annoyance and her foot started to tap repeatedly. It was already ten in the morning and Sasuke should have been up by then; they had made plans with Naruto to go to the pool. She rapped the wooden door once again, and this time, it opened.

The one standing at the door however, was not Sasuke. He had long, black hair tied into a ponytail and he was slightly older looking.

"Oh, Itachi, good morning," Sakura blushed with embarrassment at how impatient she must have seemed.

"Hello, Sakura. I assume you're looking for Sasuke?" he nonchalantly asked. His dark eyes met hers.

"Yeah, I came to pick him up. Is he awake yet?"

"I think he's still in bed... but come in, you can go check on him," Itachi stepped aside to allow Sakura inside the house.

The coolness of the house was an immediate relief to Sakura. The heat was no longer there, but the heat on her face still remained. While Itachi closed the door, she sneaked a peek at his back. He was so similar to Sasuke, but so _different._ His body seemed much more lanky than Sasuke's, but in a good way and overall, he had a serene and mature look to him. It was expected as he was the older brother, but his maturity and handsomeness looked beyond his years. Sakura blushed even harder when she caught herself staring longer than she intended to.

Itachi turned around and glanced at Sakura. There was a small moment of silence before Itachi broke it.

"Do you want some water before you get Sasuke? It was pretty hot outside," he offered.

"No thanks! It really wasn't that bad," she shook her head immediately at his offer, and her pink locks tossed back and forth as well. Sakura caught his gaze again, but then immediately averted her eyes. She didn't know why she was so flustered, it wasn't as if it was her first time meeting him. They had known each other for several years, since she was Sasuke's childhood friend.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at the peculiar sight in front of him.

"Are you sure? You're looking quite.. flushed."

Sakura nodded.

"Okay, let's go upstairs then."

Eager to get out of the awkward atmosphere, Sakura raced up the stairs. She was very familiar with their house already and needed no instruction as to where Sasuke's room was. When she reached the top of the stairs, she took a quick left and knocked loudly on the first door in sight.

There was no response.

"Sasuke! Ready or not, here I cooome!" Sakura shouted loudly enough so Sasuke could hear and she burst through the door. This was a common ritual for her. Sasuke would oversleep and she would barge into his room; it was really nothing out of the norm.

The image of Sasuke sprawled inelegantly over his bed greeted her eyes. His face was buried in the pillow and it was obvious he was trying to ignore her. The t-shirt he was wearing was rumpled up so his back was in clear view and his boxers were also in full view. To a girl who had not seen this more than a hundred times, she would have screamed and blushed, but to Sakura, this scene made her annoyed.

"Hey, dumbass! It's time to go!" she yelled at him and pulled at his arm. "Time. To. Get. Out. Of. Bed!"

She managed to pull half of his body off the bed, making it hang over the bed and onto the floor with his lower half stationary on the mattress.

Sasuke groaned and glared at Sakura, with his horrible bedhead though, he was anything but intimidating. She was stubborn and did not budge. He sighed and knew he wasn't going to have his way and reluctantly got up and out of his bed.

"That's right. I'll give you fifteen minutes to go to the bathroom and get ready," Sakura scoffed with victory and walked triumphantly out of his room, ignoring the piles of dirty clothing spread out on the floor.

Diagonally across the hallway from Sasuke's room was Itachi's. She might as well have occupied herself with something during those fifteen minutes and she lightly tapped on his door.

"Come in," a smooth voice resonated from within the room.

"Hi," Sakura greeted shyly with a small smile.

Itachi smiled back. Sakura never failed to amuse him. She was such an interesting person, even back when she was a child. He remembered the time when he first met her.

_It was hard to believe someone could have pink hair that was natural, but she had done it. A red ribbon was tied in her hair and used as a headband and she seemed to resemble a rabbit. Sakura clung onto his little brother, while Sasuke looked indifferent and slightly irritated. She had stared at him with her wide green eyes full of confusion. _

_"Is that... you? Sasuke?" she asked and squinted her eyes at Itachi. _

_"No, stupid! He's my brother!" he retorted in an offended voice. _

_Itachi chucked at this scene and introduced himself to the small girl. _

_"I'm Itachi, Sasuke's older brother. It's nice to meet you.. and you are?" He smiled and extended his hand outwards._

_"I.. I'm Sakura. Sasuke's future wife!" she cheerfully exclaimed while sticking out a tiny hand to meet with Itachi's. Sasuke blushed at her remark and tried to shake her off of himself. _

_"Y-you are not! I'm never going to get married!" His face was red, but more with embarrassment than anger._

Even back then, Sakura seemed to be more lively with Sasuke and shy with himself. It was entertaining to see her switch between her personalities.

"Are you waiting for Sasuke?" he asked.

"Yeah... he always oversleeps!"

"Well, he has his faults," Itachi chuckled lightly at his younger brother. While doing so, he took in Sakura's appearance. She leaned onto the door frame with one hand on her hip. Her lengthy, pink waves slightly cascaded over her front, but most of it was hidden behind her back. Long, creamy legs were exposed by a pair of short, tattered jean shorts and the strings of her bikini bottom stuck out. Green with white polka-dots. Her top consisted of a white v-neck which was see through with her bikini top in full view. She was a petite girl though, and couldn't have been standing over five feet, four inches. He met her bright green eyes and they widened.

Obviously startled by the eye contact, she started to fidget a little.

* * *

><p>What was she <em>doing? <em>She was the one who chose to come into his room, yet she was becoming nervous. She had never been so nervous in front of Itachi before and wondered when it started. It was a few months ago, she had just suddenly started to become _aware_ of Itachi, but no, it didn't happen randomly.

Sakura remembered, she was having a talk with Ino about potential boyfriends and who was hot and who was not, when Itachi came up into the conversation.

_"Sasuke has a brother, right? Itachi?" the blonde prodded her._

_"Yeah..." hesitantly, Sakura responded._

_"I've seen him before! He's sooo hot, right? And you know him don't you?" At that point, Ino started to squeal. "I bet you could totally have a chance with him, I mean, it's not like you're total strangers, plus you probably get points for being friends with his little brother!"_

_Sakura groaned. It was just like Ino to be this... meddlesome. She had certainly not thought of Itachi in that way before and didn't want to._

_"He just has that mature, older guy charm, you know? And he's so much hotter than Sasuke. Compared to him, he's on a totally different level. I don't even understand why you had a crush on Sasuke!" _

_Sakura actually gave what Ino said some thought. She was right. Itachi was pretty handsome, and he was so mature. Her palm met her face and she let out a sigh._

_"But he'll never see me as anything other than his little brother's friend though! And he'll probably he forever convinced I have a crush on Sasuke."_

_"Sakura, you underestimate yourself. You're so different from what you used to be and you've grown into that forehead of yours," Ino responded and poked at Sakura's forehead._

_"W-whatever. I'm not really interested at the moment," she pouted slightly while a pink tinge covered her cheeks._

Oh yeah. _That_ was how she became conscious of Itachi. Sakura scoffed. Ino's troublesome ways.

"Soooo, what're you doing?" she asked and gave Itachi a curious look.

"You know, you can come in if you want.. And I was just studying," he responded and pointed to the bed.

Sakura closed the small distance and plopped onto his bed. His room was almost completely different from Sasuke's. The walls were white, but were decorated with pictures of his family. Bookshelves lined and covered the walls that were bare. It was all organized and geometrical, unlike Sasuke's where everything was strewn about. He was a neat person, and she admired that.

She scooted herself over to the edge of the bed and peered at Itachi's desk. Similar to his room, it was tidy, a white lamp was placed at the side, contrasting with the dark wood of the desk. There was a small cup holding pens and pencils and in the middle was a notebook.

"Hmm, so you're taking summer school? What class?"

Itachi leaned back into his chair and yawned. "It's just a prep class I'm taking for the science class I'm in next year."

"And what science class is that?"

"Physics."

"Honors?"

"AP."

"Oh, nice. You're going to be in your third year, right?" Not wanting the conversation to die out, Sakura made attempts to keep it going. "We're going to be in the same school this year! Sasuke is too, isn't that exciting?"

"Yes, I'm going to be in my third year and of course, it's exciting."

She laid down on the bed, with her arms and hands propping her head up. A worried expression came over her face.

"Is it... bad? I hear a lot of bad things about high school..."

He raised an eyebrow at her. He had seen her angry, shy, and extremely happy before, but never fearful or worried.

"I enjoy it, but what have you heard?"

"Well, someone told me that there's a lot of drama and classwork is hard, plus I heard that girls get judged if they don't have a boyfriend," she felt her face warm at her own statement.

Itachi was surprised at what she said, but he tried to reassure her.

"Classwork isn't easy, and unlike junior high, you have to study. As for drama and the last part, it all depends on who you choose to be your friends. So, choose wisely. Besides, I will always be there for you, Sasuke, and Naruto."

When Sakura heard the last part of what he said, she wished that he only meant it for her. Her face reddened and she chided herself for being so selfish. Itachi noticed the color on her face.

"Sakura, are you all right? You've been blushing a lot lately, you don't have a fever, do you?" He lifted a hand to feel her face, but she reacted quickly and stood up, swatting away his hand during the process.

"Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be okay? Um, I think I'll go check up on Sasuke now, see you later, Itachi!" She said her words so quickly that they seemed to meld together. Walking almost robotically out the door, her mind was going in circles. He almost touched her. He almost touched _her face._ The object of her admiration almost _touched_ her.

There was something seriously wrong with her.

* * *

><p>Well, that was... odd. Itachi was puzzled by what had happened. And Itachi was not usually puzzled. Granted, she had been acting out of the norm recently, but she had never outright <em>avoided<em> him like that. He wanted to know what was wrong and he wanted to make it right. There was enough time left to talk to Sakura; Sasuke would never have gotten ready that quickly.

He pushed his chair out and walked out of his room.

"Sasuke! Are you ready yet? Jeez, you take longer than a girl!" Her friends could be so difficult sometimes.

"Ten more minutes, it's not that long, Sakura."

She groaned and leaned her head into the wall. The door of Itachi's room clicked open. Well, this was just fucking great.

"Sakura, I know something's wrong. You have been acting... strange and abnormal recently and it seems that something is bothering you. You can tell me what's wrong, I'll always help," he said reassuringly.

Sakura was appalled. _He_ was her problem and _he _was asking her what her problem was. She couldn't believe it.

"It's nothing, really, nothing," she said unconvincingly.

"You've known me for years, Sakura, you can confide in me." He started to stare into her eyes, as if he was searching for something.

"I-I can't!" Sakura shouted quietly. "It's... too embarrassing." Her cheeks flared up again. By now, Sakura expected Itachi to back off, but he wasn't relenting.

"Could it be... boy issues?" Itachi knew that Sakura was a well sought after girl by boys of her age, but he didn't want to believe it. He also knew that Sakura once had a thing for his little brother. Itachi didn't want to believe Sakura had "boy issues" as he called it. She was still so young, and she would always be that innocent little girl. He suddenly felt uncomfortable with those thoughts.

"Um... sort of." Her eyes averted to the floor.

Itachi's eyes narrowed at her response. "Were you... hurt by someone?" The thought of a punk messing with Sakura was not enjoyable. Whoever hurt her would pay. "Is that why you have been distracted lately?"

"No! Absolutely not."

"Are you... interested in someone?"

Sakura couldn't take it anymore, she knew he wasn't going to stop until he got a true answer. She couldn't lie to him, and it wasn't that it would hurt her conscience, maybe a little, but he could _tell_ when she lied.

"Will you stop badgering me?"

"Only after you tell me what's wrong."

She let out a small scream of frustration. "If you want to know so badly, I like _you_, okay?"

Itachi's eyes widened slightly with surprise. This was... not something he had foreseen.

"Are you happy now? Forcing me to tell you? You know what, just forget about it, I wasn't serious." Her face was scarlet and she quickly buried her face into her hands. "Tell Sasuke I'm waiting outside and that he should hurry, bye."

She escaped quickly out the front door, meanwhile Itachi stood in the hallway, stunned.

Did she just say she liked him? She just said she liked _him._

Itachi's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and deep thought. _Sakura_ just told him that she _liked_ him. But she had also told him she wasn't serious. No, she had been lying when she said the second part, he was sure.

His own face turned crimson at what had just happened. He turned his body around and went back into his orderly room. The door closed shut and he positioned his back on it, leaning his weight in. How could he not have realized it before? She had been blushing profusely lately whenever she was around him, but she acted differently -normally- with Sasuke. He should have noticed. He should have gotten the hint.

But now... he was in a mess. He liked Sakura, he always did. But was it _her_ kind of like? He didn't know. He had known her for a while, and he had seen her grow up too. Sakura was intelligent, kind, interesting, and as an added bonus, attractive. There were really no faults he could see. Well, sometimes she was impatient and rash, and had a short temper, but that was what made her interesting to him. She could so freely express her emotions and not hold anything back.

He rubbed his face again. There was a sense of relief within him though, when he found out that it wasn't someone else she liked. Was this the feeling that one called "like?" It it was, he was sure he "liked" Sakura now. His eyes shot open when he realized what he had done. Itachi just _badgered_ the girl he liked. He made her run out of his house. Immediately, he ran out of his room, down the stairs and out of the front door.

* * *

><p>The door slammed and Sakura jumped. Her eyes widened when she saw Itachi. He wasn't as calm as usual, and instead he seemed distraught and panicked. His head went side to side frantically until he caught sight of her.<p>

Her eyes focused in on him, open and alert.

He started. "Was what you said back then, true?" His onyx eyes seemed so concentrated and his whole body seemed so tense that he looked like he was going to explode any second.

Her face grew red in fury and her voice rose.

"Have you had enough of _bullying_ me? This isn't like you, Itachi. Can't you just leave me al-"

"I can't!" he said with slight desperation. "I can't leave you alone and I need to know if it's true because... I think may like you as well."

She swore she almost saw him blush. Her mouth opened as she gaped at what just happened.

"Don't joke with me, Itachi," she replied meekly. She crossed her thin arms over her chest.

"Am I one to joke around, Sakura?" His eyebrows rose. "You haven't answered my question, was what you said true?"

She nodded her head slightly all while her eyes looked away.

"May I... hug you?" he asked sincerely. His eyes were hopeful and she could tell he was nervous.

At this, her anger seemed to fade away. Her viridian eyes softened and her arms came down to her sides. A small smile graced her lips. He was so _awkward_ and genuine; he was too cute for words. Sakura closed the small distance between them and wrapped her arms around his middle. Her face buried into his chest and she took in his scent. It was a pleasant scent, it was of clean laundry, and it was masculine. It was just so... _Itachi_.

Slowly, his arms lifted up and pulled her closer to him. Her soft form pressed closely against his own body. He placed his cheek on top of her silky hair. It was freshly washed and smelled of apples. His breaths were deep and even as he wanted to remember what her fragrance was and how she felt near him. There was a short silence, but Itachi broke it.

"This means you like me, for sure, right?"

"Obviously, stupid." Her voice was muffled by his shirt and even though her face was concealed by his chest, he could see the pink inching out to the sides of her cheeks. He chuckled at her words and smoothed out her pink tendrils.

"Sakura... will you be with me? I can't promise you I will be with you forever, nor can I promise that I can give you the best, but I promise that as long as we are together, I will try to make you happy to the best of my abilities."

Still with her arms wrapped around slightly above his waist, she peered up at him. Her eyes were large and round, like a puppy's and her lips were in an almost pout. She was truly too adorable.

"You idiot. Even if you couldn't, I'd still want to be with you."

With that, he leaned down and hesitantly placed his lips on hers. She quickly adapted and raised herself up onto her toes to accommodate for the height difference. Her arms looped around his neck, pulling him further down.

Her lips were soft, softer than he thought they would be, and they tasted of raspberry lipstick. Sweet and subtle. It was a short lived kiss though and they both reluctantly pulled away. He didn't want to push her too far. Itachi's arms were around her waist as he tilted his head downwards to study her face. Her long eyelashes fanned, and almost covered her glossy, green eyes as she directed them towards something else to hide her embarrassment. A rose colored blush, matching her hair, was dusted onto her milky skin and she was biting her bottom lip with her pearly teeth. She was so enticing that he wanted to kiss her again, so he started to lean down.

"Itachi!" A voice arose from within the house. "I'm going out with Sakura and Naruto! I'll be back in a few hours... Itachi?" His footsteps were getting louder by the second.

Startled, Sakura pushed against Itachi's chest with her hands, working herself out of his hold. She glanced up at him apologetically. Itachi merely smirked at her action.

"Sasuke! We're outside," she yelled at him.

Within a minute, Sasuke exited through the front of the house, fully dressed and ready to go. He had donned on a pair of navy basketball shorts and a white t-shirt. A drawstring bag was placed on his back.

"Why'd you guys leave the door open? You let the air conditioning escape," he said.

"Sorry, I was a bit absent minded... and perhaps preoccupied," replied Itachi. Sakura's face heated up at his statement and she shot him a glare.

An eyebrow was raised on Sasuke's face. "...I don't think I want to know. Let's go, Sakura."

"Yeah, yeah," she rolled her eyes at him. "See you soon... Itachi?" Her lips were in a pout once again.

He felt his face flush and he nodded. "Yes, soon."

Her face broke into a smile so big, that it threatened to split apart her face. Her eyes lit up and she waved goodbye. She immediately turned around and had to jog a bit to catch up to Sasuke, who walked on ahead, wanting to ignore the scene behind him.

* * *

><p>Sakura sighed dreamily. The corners of her mouth were slanted up into a grin as she lied down on her beach chair.<p>

"Eh? What happened, Sakura-chan?" Naruto stood over her, with a colorful beach ball in one arm and his sandals in his other hand.

"Dumbass. You don't want to know, it has to do with Itachi," Sasuke added in coolly.

"Hmph," she scoffed.

"Is that true? What happened!"

"Well... it started this morning when I had to go wake Sasuke up because he was being a lazyass, and then-"

"STOP! I don't want to hear about how you and Itachi got together!" He glared at her and pretended to gag in disgust.

"What! I wanna know, Sakura-chan!" the blonde requested.

"Think of this as your punishment for oversleeping, Sasuke," she smirked at her raven haired friend and proceeded to tell her adventures in her newly developed romance

* * *

><p>Hi! Thanks for reading! :) This is my first completed fanfiction of any kind... I hope you enjoyed it. I may choose to continue this with a small series of oneshots, but I also may choose to revise this one, as I'm not <em>completely<em> satisfied with it. Sorry if there were any mistakes or whatnot.

Please review with ideas, comments, or suggestions? Thank you!


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